Sexual wellness concerns affect millions of women of all ages and life stages, yet they often remain unaddressed because many women feel hesitant to talk about them. Some feel embarrassed to discuss sexual health, while others believe it’s just a normal part of being a woman and something they just have to live with.
The physical discomfort, changes in desire, and emotional impact of these issues are legitimate health concerns that deserve attention and care, and not only for your sexual vitality. Your sexual health is connected to many other vital aspects of your overall health.
Thankfully, there are effective, innovative treatments and solutions available that can offer symptom relief and get to the root cause of your concerns.
Today, we’re going to tell you about some of the most popular and innovative women’s health therapies and explain why you should never ignore signs of sexual dysfunction, as they can be a significant indicator of underlying health issues that shouldn’t be ignored.
Why Women’s Sexual Health is Important
Whether you’re experiencing changes after childbirth, navigating menopause, dealing with medication side effects, managing a condition that affects intimacy, or simply unsure why your sexual wellness feels off—it’s important to address it as soon as possible.
Every woman deserves to feel sensual, confident, and at home in her body. But sexual health isn’t just about intimacy; it’s a vital part of your overall well-being that directly affects your quality of life. When your sexual health is compromised, it can ripple into every aspect of life. Poor sexual health can impact your mood, relationships, self-esteem, and even your physical health.
Mentally, poor sexual health can create distance in relationships and contribute to increased stress, anxiety, and depression. These emotions can create a domino effect and quickly turn physical. For example, chronic stress from unresolved sexual health issues can also fuel systemic inflammation, which is at the root of many chronic diseases—including autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, and even certain cancers.
From a medical standpoint, prioritizing sexual health is essential for reproductive health, cancer screenings, STI prevention, pelvic floor function, hormone balance, and more.
Let’s look at hormone balance alone. Even minor hormonal declines or imbalances can lead to fatigue, weight gain, mood disorders, migraines, sleep disturbances, vaginal issues and conditions, and many other health struggles.
Depending on which hormones are affected, if it is a long-term untreated hormone imbalance, it can also potentially lead to more serious issues such as:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome
- Thyroid Disorders
- Infertility & Menstrual Irregularities
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Endometriosis & Uterine Fibroids
- Increased Risk of Dementia & Alzheimer’s
- Cognitive Decline
- Neurological conditions
- High Blood Pressure & Heart Disease
- High Cholesterol & Stroke Risk
- Osteoporosis/Bone Loss
- Muscle Wasting and Weakness
- Mood Disorders
- Insomnia/Sleep Disorders
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
- Autoimmune Disease
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & Leaky Gut
- Gallstones and Other Gallbladder Problems
- Breast, Ovarian, & Uterine Cancer
Yes, some of these are more extreme examples, but it is important to understand they are possible if you ignore certain aspects of sexual wellness, such as hormone health.
Additionally, changes in sexual function can sometimes signal underlying health concerns, such as kidney or liver disease, cardiovascular issues, or neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis.
As you can see, while important, sexual health is not only about having a fulfilling sex life.
It’s not just about pleasure; sexual wellness is about whole-body health and deserves the same attention as heart health, gut health, brain health, and metabolic health—because it’s deeply interconnected with them all.
What Causes Female Sexual Dysfunction?
Many factors can contribute to female sexual dysfunction. Identifying the root cause is essential for finding the right solution. Sexual health challenges often stem from a combination of physical, hormonal, psychological, and lifestyle factors.
Some of the most common contributors to female sexual dysfunction include:
- Hormonal Imbalances
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
- Nerve Damage or Nerve Pain
- Side Effects of Medication
- Certain Medical and Psychological Conditions
- Inflammatory Skin Conditions of the Vulvar Area
- Sexual Trauma Response
- Genital Arousal Disorder
- Poor Lifestyle Choices
- Cancer Treatment
- Heart and Vascular Issues
- Neurological Disorders
- Chronic Stress
From this list, one of the most common medical reasons why women experience sexual health challenges is an underlying hormone change.
Hormone imbalances can happen during certain life stages, such as pregnancy and postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. Women can also experience hormonal fluctuations due to stress, thyroid dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and even due to dieting and exercise extremes.
A hormone imbalance isn’t always the root cause of sexual dysfunction.
Trauma, mental health issues, relational issues, some medications, and other health issues, such as diabetes, autoimmune conditions, endometriosis, and cardiovascular disease, can also cause women’s sexual health issues.
Even poor lifestyle habits like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and inadequate sleep can affect sexual function.
A proper diagnosis of the root cause of your sexual dysfunction can help determine the necessary next steps for improving your sexual wellness and overall well-being.
Common Sexual Health Issues Women Face
Women experience a wide range of sexual health challenges throughout their lives. For example, nearly every woman has dealt with vaginitis at some point, whether it’s a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. Many women also face reproductive struggles, bladder conditions, and other concerns that impact sexual health.
However, for this article, we’re focusing on sexual dysfunction symptoms. Not only can these be indicators of deeper health imbalances, but they’re also some of the least talked-about concerns in women’s health.
This shouldn’t be the case because there is usually an easy fix.
No, women might not have a direct, effective equivalent to the “little blue pill” as men do, but innovative therapies exist to help restore female sexual vitality.
Before we dive into the solutions, let’s explore some of the most common sexual health frustrations women face regardless of the root cause:
Low Libido
If you’ve ever used the excuse, “I have a headache,” pretended to be asleep, or even fibbed that it’s “that time of the month” because you didn’t feel the urge for intimacy but weren’t sure why, you are not alone.
A lack of interest in sex is the most common sexual wellness concern women face at some point in their lives. This isn’t simply “not being in the mood”—it’s a persistent decrease in sexual desire that causes distress.
A woman’s body and mind don’t work the same way as a man’s. Women are fascinating and multifaceted beings, with desire influenced by a complex interplay of hormones, emotions, and external factors.
There could be a dozen reasons why you aren’t “in the mood,” but most often, low sex drive is due to hormone imbalances. Chronic stress and sleep deprivation can also diminish desire, as can certain medications, including antidepressants, blood pressure drugs, birth control, and even antihistamines.
Of course, there are non-hormonal reasons for low libido, such as past trauma, relationship tensions, and emotional well-being.
Pain During Sex (Dyspareunia)
Pain during sex is another extremely common issue women face. Pain may be felt at the vaginal entrance, deep within the pelvis, or both. What many women don’t realize is that painful intercourse is rarely “normal” and almost always has treatable underlying causes.
Causes range from something minor such as not being aroused, insufficient lubrication, or temporary hormonal changes to other more serious reasons, such as endocrine disorders or chronic hormonal conditions, vaginismus (involuntary muscle contractions), endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, vulvodynia (chronic vulvar pain), and more.
Issues Becoming Aroused/Low Sexual Satisfaction
Difficulty becoming physically aroused and not feeling like sex is satisfying despite being “in the mood” can be frustrating and confusing.
A lack of physical reaction despite mental interest can happen suddenly or over time. The reason is often a result of hormonal imbalances affecting blood flow to genital tissues, medication side effects, or nerve damage from conditions like diabetes.
Not being able to get aroused and low satisfaction can also have psychological roots.
Difficulty Reaching Orgasm
If you think you are alone in your orgasm struggles, think again. You might be surprised at the percentage of women who have never experienced an orgasm, with even more women having difficulty achieving one consistently.
One survey found that only 25% of women “almost always” orgasmed during sex! If you’re curious, that same survey found that 95% of men “almost always” experience orgasm.
For women, lack of orgasm usually stems from insufficient stimulation, anxiety about not being able to climax, poor blood flow, hormonal changes affecting sensitivity, or pelvic floor dysfunction— but it can also be psychological.
For some women, psychological barriers from past experiences, cultural messaging, body insecurities, or relationship struggles can create unconscious tension that interferes with the body’s natural sexual climax response.
Vaginal Dryness
Lack of lubrication is extremely common in menopausal and postmenopausal women, but can occur at any age.
The underlying issue of vaginal dryness primarily results from decreased estrogen levels but can also stem from certain medications, autoimmune conditions, cancer treatments, or even excessive hygiene practices that disrupt the vagina’s natural moisture balance.
Beyond discomfort during intercourse, vaginal dryness can cause daily irritation, increased susceptibility to infections, and even urinary symptoms.
Latest Treatments, Solutions, and Integrative Approaches for Common Women’s Sexual Wellness Issues
When it comes to addressing women’s sexual wellness concerns, it is important to understand why you are experiencing symptoms. Always consult with a healthcare provider who specializes in women’s sexual health, especially if symptoms are sudden, severe, or accompanied by other concerning changes.
Depending on your unique situation, there are often innovative solutions that can address multiple factors simultaneously. From advanced functional medicine interventions to lifestyle modifications, here’s what current research supports for women seeking to restore sexual wellness and vitality:
Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and more specifically, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), is the gold standard for addressing many hormone-related sexual health concerns.
Unlike synthetic hormones, today’s bioidentical hormones, like the ones we prescribe at Relive Health, closely mimic the molecular structure of hormones naturally produced by your body, allowing for more targeted and personalized treatment with fewer side effects.
If you aren’t sure of the difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones, this article, “Bioidentical Hormone Therapy: Safe Solutions for Hormonal Balance,” is a great read.
There are many things that hormone therapy can treat. Clinical studies consistently show that properly administered BHRT can make a dramatic difference in:
- Restoring natural lubrication and improving vaginal tissue health
- Boosting sexual desire and arousal
- Enhancing the ability to orgasm and overall pleasure
- Increasing sexual satisfaction and intimacy
- Elevating mood, energy, and confidence that support a healthy sex life
Some studies demonstrate that estrogen therapy significantly improved sexual function scores compared to placebo, with improvements sustained over time. Additionally, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for women (at much lower doses than used for men) has been shown in multiple clinical trials to improve sexual desire, arousal, and satisfaction.
Symptom relief is important, but even better, BHRT isn’t a band-aid like many medications that only treat the surface issue. BHRT helps correct the underlying imbalance that causes the symptoms (and could potentially lead to bigger issues if left untreated.)
There are many myths floating around about female hormone replacement therapy, one being that it’s not safe. Fortunately, an increasing body of clinical evidence supports its safety and efficacy.
There has even been a groundbreaking development in this area recently. In early 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the removal of the boxed warning related to cardiovascular risks from all testosterone product labels.
This change follows the results of the TRAVERSE clinical trial, which concluded that testosterone therapy does not increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in men with hypogonadism.
While this study focused on men, it underscores the importance of ongoing research and evidence-based updates in hormone therapy.
As more studies are conducted, we anticipate similar reassessments for female hormone replacement therapies, further dispelling misconceptions and highlighting their safety and benefits.
The key to safe and effective HRT lies in the clinic you choose and the expertise of your prescriber. It’s important to select a qualified HRT provider who conducts comprehensive testing and develops a treatment plan with individualized dosing based on your unique hormone profile, symptoms, and health history.
If you aren’t sure if hormone replacement therapy is right for you, check out this article, “Signs You Need Hormone Replacement Therapy.”
Peptide Therapies
Gaining significant attention in sexual wellness treatment are peptide therapies—short chains of amino acids that serve as signaling molecules in the body. While clinical trials are limited, emerging research suggests certain peptides can help restore sexual function.
How peptides work in the body to help address these issues depends on the peptide or combination of ingredients used alongside the peptide.
For example, the peptide PT-141 (also known as Bremelanotide or the FDA-approved drug Vyleesi) works through the central nervous system to enhance sexual desire in premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Unlike medications that only affect blood flow, PT-141 is believed to target the neural pathways involved in sexual response.
Troches with several ingredients, including oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”), tadalafil (a vasodilator), and peptides like P-141 are also showing promise. These dissolvable lozenges taken before intimacy are helping many women with arousal and desire.
For women whose sexual wellness issues stem from autoimmune conditions or chronic inflammation, some peptides help modulate immune function and reduce inflammatory responses that can contribute to vaginal pain and tissue damage.
Last but not least, we can’t leave out GLP-1 peptides such as Semaglutide. For women whose body image concerns impact sexual confidence, these peptides can assist with weight management while preserving lean muscle mass, helping address a common barrier to sexual satisfaction.
Many people wonder if weight-loss drugs really work or if GLP-1 drugs are worth it. We understand the hesitance. There are a lot of myths about medical weight loss drugs. While they aren’t for everyone, GLP-1 agonists are helping millions of people lose weight and are no doubt one of the best medications to treat obesity.
Furthermore, GLP-1 agonists are more than just a weight-loss drug. They are being used to treat a variety of other medical conditions.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatments
Another innovative therapy that is growing in popularity is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments.
PRP treatments utilize growth factors from your own blood to rejuvenate tissue. For sexual wellness, this approach has shown promising results in:
- Increasing vaginal lubrication
- Improving tissue elasticity and sensitivity
- Reducing pain during intercourse
- Enhancing the capacity for orgasm
- Addressing certain vulvar pain conditions
While research is still developing, many practitioners report high satisfaction among patients who haven’t responded well to other treatments.
Exercise for Sexual Wellness
Regular exercise isn’t only for aesthetics and heart health. Physical activity can also impact sexual health and help improve sexual dysfunction.
For example, if you consistently perform specialized exercises targeting the pelvic floor muscles, it can address both hypertonicity (excessive tension) and weakness, which are common contributors to pain and orgasmic difficulties.
Cardio is also excellent for sexual wellness because it promotes better circulation. Improved circulation enhances genital blood flow and arousal capacity, with studies showing that women who exercise regularly report better sexual function scores.
Also, don’t neglect the weight, ladies. Beyond building lean muscle that improves body image, resistance training boosts testosterone levels, potentially enhancing desire and response.
Nutrition and Dietary Approaches that Support Sexual Wellness
You’ve heard it before—you are what you eat.
Research in nutritional medicine reveals that diet plays a crucial role in sexual wellness, influencing everything from hormone balance to blood flow and energy levels.
Let’s start with blood sugar management. Stable glucose levels are essential for maintaining hormone balance and sustaining the energy needed for intimacy. When eating carbs, limit processed sugars and opt for fiber-rich, slow-digesting options like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables to prevent spikes and crashes.
Keeping inflammation in check might also help, as chronic inflammation is often the root cause of vaginal pain, tissue damage, and overall discomfort. A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in healthy fats, lean proteins, and antioxidant-packed fruits and vegetables, can help reduce systemic inflammation and support vascular health, both of which are key for sexual function.
Gut health is another area you shouldn’t overlook. The gut-hormone connection plays a significant role in estrogen metabolism and overall hormonal balance. Make sure to include plenty of gut-friendly foods like fermented vegetables, probiotic yogurt, and fiber-rich plant foods to support a healthy microbiome.
Additionally, prioritize foods rich in zinc, L-arginine, and B vitamins, as these nutrients support the biochemical pathways involved in sexual response, blood flow, and overall arousal.
While no single food will dramatically change sexual function, a nutrient-dense diet that promotes hormone balance can complement other treatments and support long-term sexual wellness.
If you struggle to get these nutrients from diet alone or are showing signs you are deficient in these vitamins, you could also consider IV Vitamin Therapy.
Psychological and Relationship-Based Approaches
For many women, it’s not all physical. There could be a need to address psychological and relational aspects that could be negatively impacting your sexual health.
General counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and specialized sex therapy can address specific sexual concerns, trauma responses, and communication barriers.
When to Seek Help for Your Sexual Health
Many women hesitate to discuss sexual health concerns, often believing their experiences are either unique to them or simply an inevitable part of aging or life transitions. This silence can lead to years of unnecessary physical discomfort, emotional distress, and potentially more severe health issues.
Some of the root causes of sexual health issues are short-lived due to temporary hormone fluctuations, stressful life events, medication adjustments, or relationship struggles. If symptoms like occasional changes in desire or mild discomfort are temporary, and you are not at high risk for reproductive cancers or infections, you might only need to take a watch-and-wait approach.
However, if your symptoms are interfering with your quality of life, are persistent, or are accompanied by other concerning symptoms, it is time to seek help to get to the root cause and rule out more serious conditions.
When to See a Healthcare Provider Immediately:
- Sudden, severe pelvic pain
- Unexplained vaginal bleeding, especially after menopause
- Pain during urination accompanied by fever
- Lesions, unusual discharge, or concerning changes in vaginal or vulvar tissue
- Sexual pain that begins suddenly or is severe
When to Schedule a Regular Appointment:
- Persistent pain during intercourse
- Ongoing difficulties with arousal or orgasm
- Vaginal dryness that doesn’t improve with over-the-counter products
- Gradual loss of sexual desire that causes personal distress
- Changes in sexual function following medication changes
- Concerns about sexual function after childbirth, surgery, or during perimenopause
If your OBGYN has ruled out structural issues, infections, or other gynecological conditions, the next step is to book a consultation with a medical clinic like Revive Health that specializes in women’s hormone health solutions, such as women’s hormone replacement therapy and other functional medicine solutions, such as peptide therapy.
Many women report finding solutions after years of being told their symptoms were “normal” or “just part of aging” when they finally connect with our functional medical health providers who specialize in these innovative approaches to women’s sexual health.
At Relive Health, we use personalized, comprehensive approaches that recognize the complex interplay between hormones, neurotransmitters, psychology, and relationship factors—rather than seeking a single solution.
To find a Relive Health near you, visit our clinic locator. We’d love to help you. With the right support and treatment approach, most women can experience significant improvements in their sexual wellness, regardless of age or life stage.
